SUNDAY TIMES AND Sun columnist Rod Liddle has died aged 66 after a short illness.

Liddle’s children paid tribute to their father as their guide “on how to live an extraordinary life”.

Liddle died at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough on Sunday evening.

In a statement issued by News UK, his children Wilder, Tyler and Emmy said: “We’re all very saddened and shocked at the sudden passing of our wonderful father. He raised us much as you might imagine, to be inquisitive, brave and always humorous.

“Even in hospital in the last few weeks, he consistently held the room and never let the awful situation show.

“He has left a legacy that we are all incredibly proud of, he will always be our guide on how to live an extraordinary life.”

Liddle wrote regularly for the Sunday Times, the Sun, and the Spectator.

In 1998, he was made editor of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He left the programme in 2002 after the BBC said his column writing amounted to a breach of his impartiality.

Last year, Times Radio appointed him as the host of its Saturday morning show every weekend from 10am to 1pm.

Last year, Times Radio appointed him as the host of its Saturday morning show every weekend from 10am to 1pm.

Outside of writing and presenting, Liddle also spent time in the political sphere. In 1983, he was a speechwriter for the UK Labour Party. In the UK’s most recent general election in 2024, he stood as a candidate for the Social Democratic Party, coming fourth in the poll in his constituency.

Liddle courted many controversies over comments that he made in his writings or elsewhere in the media, including a column in 2019 that sparked backlash when that an upcoming election should be held on “a day when universities are closed and Muslims are forbidden to do anything on pain of hell, or something”.